As we celebrated National Volunteer Week (April 15-21), we recalled the genesis of I-CERV (Ismaili Community Engaged in Responsible Volunteering) nine years ago. Service to others is a foundational principle of Islam and one institutionalized by the Ismaili community over the past century. In keeping with this long tradition, I-CERV is a national program which engages the Jamat of all ages to participate actively in improving living conditions for others within our communities, to improve their quality of life.
I-CERV’s mission and vision are aligned with the overall guidance provided in Qur’anic ayats and by Mawlana Hazar Imam, who said at the Conference on Indigenous Philanthropy in Islamabad Pakistan, on October 17, 2000: “Enabling individuals to recover and maintain their dignity as befitting their status as Allah’s greatest creation, is one of the main reasons for charitable action... the best of charity, in Islamic terms, can go beyond material support alone. It can take the form of human or professional support such as the provision of education for those otherwise unable to obtain it, or of the sharing of knowledge to help marginalized individuals build different and better futures for themselves.”
The program aims to drive ongoing efforts to positively shape the youth who are uniquely skilled ambassadors of our ethical values and who can contribute as compassionate leaders towards improving social and economic needs of the community in which they reside. I-CERV has three distinguishable objectives: Plan, Serve and Reflect, designed to create a critical environment for all who serve to become self-aware of Allah’s creation, investigate and develop their own problem-solving skills, and to encourage reflection on the legacy they would like to leave for future generations.
I-CERV has focused on partnering with churches. Cities and food banks in many regions of country, to address broader issues surrounding poverty alleviation and relief of hardship. Over 2017 & 2018, I-CERV has successfully completed over 70 events in the Western region alone, with volunteers ranging in age from 6-24 years- old.
Leah Stoller from Seattle’s Food Lifeline.org thanked the Ismaili Council for the Western US and I-CERV “for donating your time, effort and positive attitude…thank you so much for helping Food Lifeline fight hunger in Western Washington. We couldn’t do it without you!”
In appreciation of efforts made by I-CERV volunteers in Oregon, Senator Richard Devlin, who was present, said “It was a pleasure to meet you and members of the Ismaili community on Saturday. Thank you for joining us to plant trees. I look forward to meeting more members of the Ismaili community at future events.”
In San Diego, I-CERV reclaimed food from restaurants and grocery stores that would normally go to waste if not served or sold, and convinced the Channel 10 NEWS crew to assist packaging food and meals for families in need. San Diego was able to raise 908,000 meals and aimed to continue their initiative even after hitting a million.
No service would be complete without raising awareness of the planet we share. ICERV Earth Day is one of many such initiatives led by AKYSB West which helps drive improvements for an eco-friendly environment to support its communities. For Earth Day, over 150 volunteers cleaned up beaches, restored forestry to preserve greenery, developed new growth by planting new trees, and collected litter on hiking trails.
Similar efforts were made to restore Whitney Pond Park in Manhasset, New York. Local Councilwoman Anna Kaplan attended the event and thanked I-CERV volunteers for their committed service to the local community. She said "your community gives the most and requires the least." I-CERV has been organizing the annual Earth Day park clean-up in Manhasset for over 5 years.
I-CERV is a program which fosters change on a local scale, concerned with bringing change in local schools for brighter learning spaces, cleaner beaches, and opportunities to assist those in need through initiatives led by the local Ismaili Councils.
I-CERV understands the how color helps brightens and influences our upcoming generations’ minds. In the Central region, I-CERV volunteers partnered with the Dallas Independent School District, to beautify the internal learning space of one of their elementary schools. Volunteers painted several murals on the walls including ones with inspirational quotes. This beautification created a positive learning environment for the students and re-energized the overall look and feel of the school.
Since the inception of I-CERV nine years ago, Jamats from all across the country have engaged over 4,200 youth volunteers in service. Whether it is Scottsdale’s restoration and painting event or coastal clean-up at Huntington State Beach, Orange County, California, or Santa Clara Jamatkhana for packaging supplies for communities in need, young and seniors alike came together in the spirit of service and an expression of our faith.
Suraiya Patel from the Council for the West recollects one of the first I-CERV projects with which she was involved, where she engaged thirty youth to create a playground for a neighborhood that served low-income families. This initiative was appreciated by Maria Shriver, former First Lady of California, who recognized the contributions of I-CERV.
During this past year, Suraiya says “All 17 centers in the West have been engaged in service at some point—what’s remarkable is that some of the Jamats are as small as twenty members and yet they have engaged in I-CERV activities. Our engagement has exceeded our expectations for the Diamond Jubilee year, surpassing our goal to complete 60 I-CERV activities by July 11, 2018, in fact, we have completed almost 70 I-CERV assignments!”
